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Latest by Kate Knibbs

pulitzer prizes

These Pulitzer prizes winners reveal how media will never be the same

Some of the best journalism is now digital and social - and what happens online is an integral part of the story.
kissin cousins

Icelandic anti-incest app keeps residents from becoming kissin’ cousins

Iceland's population is so small, you might accidentally date your cousin. "There's an app for that" has rarely sounded more inappropriate.

Party foul! Viral Snapchat ruins college kegger

A smartphone prank lead to students frantically abandoning illegal booze.

Facebook’s Chat Heads are coming to an iPhone near you

Chat Heads aren't just for Android anymore. That didn't take long.
smartphone paparazzi

How social media has changed what it means to be a celebrity

All the Twitter's a stage, and all the tweeters are potential celebrities...and paparazzi.
Bing

Study says Bing returns five times more malware-laden links than Google [UPDATED]

Google's closest competitor sends a lot more malware to its users. But don't worry - both engines are doing a pretty good job.
plan your social media afterlife with googles super creepy new feature gty last will inheritance ll 120910 wg

Plan your social media afterlife with Google’s creepy new feature

Don't worry, guys, Google sees dead people. A new service helps you dictate what happens with your online life once you're not a part of it.
can science predict the next big meme advice dog story

Can science predict the next big meme?

A researcher maps the rise and fall of memes - and his findings may help us make better ones.

Would you pay to Facebook message a celebrity?

Facebook is testing a new service that makes you fork over cash to contact famous people.
reddit and snoop dogg plan to host weed themed award show called wait for it the munchies snoopdoggreddit

Reddit and Snoop Dogg to host 4/20 award show called (wait for it) ‘The Munchies’

It's not that hard being Snoop D-O-double-G, at least not on Reddit - the rapper is hosting a new awards show.
tweetin at the beach

According to Twitter, happiness may be a plane ride away

Research based on Twitter finds a connection between where you are and how happy you are.
twitter charity organization twestival relaunches as a year long event 2013 facebook cover 0  1

Twitter charity organization Twestival relaunches as a year-long event

Twestival is a Twitter-based charity organizing service shaking things up in 2013.
the woman who used vine to score a job screen shot 2013 04 09 at 6 02 pm

Want to Vine your way to a job? This woman did

Vine is the latest social app to take the networking world by storm. Dawn Siff made it work for her by creating a unique resume with the app.

Why is Spotify paying so much to advertise on YouTube?

Spotify is pulling out all the stops to secure its position, even collaborating with the enemy.
selling twitter bots

Can you buy Twitter legitimacy? A look inside the fake follower business

People are turning to all sorts of services to boost their Twitter followers. Do any of them work?

Vine adds trending hashtags; will they be annoying or useful?

Vine just took its hashtags to the next level. But will it help or hurt the fledgling app?
grumpy cat

The lifespan of a meme: The rise and fall of Grumpy Cat and other Internet celebrities

You might be chanting "Long live the meme," but nothing lasts forever. Especially not online.

Mark Zuckerberg’s first site proves even geniuses made embarassing Angelfire pages at one point

Look at a blast from the past. Mark Zuckerberg's (potential) old Angelfire page isn't quite as pretty as Facebook.

Photos: World, meet the biggest jerk on Instagram

He's either a colossal jackass or a very dedicated troll. Either way, this might be the most ridiculous account on Instagram.
facebook phone home privacy

Will Facebook Home collect even more of your data? You bet

It may not be a Facebook Phone, but Facebook Home will still be able to collect new data on you.
russia internet censorship

To Russia with Internet restrictions: Russia’s child-safety plan is more censorship than good sense

New Russian regulations block sites that might endanger children. But do they go too far?
hashtag key

Welcome to the all-knowing, very searchable, saturated world of the hashtag

A hashtag's value all depends on how social networks choose to use them.
nyt bot

The New York Times’ non-terrible April Fools’ joke is a bot that turns journalism into poetry

A haiku-spewing robot has poetry fans in a tizzy. But it's not an April Fool's joke.
some cold hard facts about the marriage equality meme screen shot 2013 03 29 at 4 53 40 pm

The Facebook and Google numbers behind the rise of the red equal sign

Facebook and Google can help explain the red equal sign meme's popularity.

The opus that is R. Kelly’s ‘Trapped in the Closet’ gets new life thanks to social media

If you love R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" hip-hopera, a new interactive soundboard uses Facebook, Twitter and other social media to unlock extra fun.
whats up with north koreas air koryo facebook page korea airline

How is this North Korean airline running an incredibly active Facebook page?

It's surprisingly open and responsive - probably because it's not run by North Koreans.

Want a higher Klout score? Your Instagram photos matter now

Stock up on kitten picks and other clickbait if you want to raise your Klout score on Instagram.
insta silent film

Who needs filters? Instagram is getting the silent (film) treatment

Silent films hit Instagram as part of an ingenious festival promotion.
hashtags for everyone path joins in on the trend hashtag

Hashtags for everyone! Path joins in on the #trend

Path joins Facebook and Flickr on the increasingly crowded hashtag bandwagon.
government employees can be Craigslist creeps

Turns out federal government employees can be Craigslist creeps, too

If you're going to cyber-stalk somebody via Craigslist ads, don't use your work computer.
no internet

The largest cyber attack ever just slowed down the entire Internet

The world's biggest cyberattack just happened. What's next?

You want the 3G? You can’t handle the 3G! North Korea pulls foreigner access [UPDATE: Temporarily]

We hope foreign journalists didn't get too comfortable - North Korea already pulled their 3G access.
grumpy cat gaymarriage

The birth of a marriage equality meme

The Supreme Court is taking a look at marriage today - and if you look at Facebook, your friends are probably chiming in.
linkedin follows in facebooks footsteps gets a search makeover url

LinkedIn follows in Facebook’s footsteps, gets a search makeover

LinkedIn changed up its search, emulating Facebook to widen its appeal.